President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands at a press conference in New Delhi, India, Sept 18, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Ram Madhav, the general secretary of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, said: "The greatest impediment in India-China relations is the trust deficit. By engaging with each other swiftly, the two leaders demonstrated that they are determined to address and reduce the trust deficit.

"Managing a number of contradictions is the real challenge for the governments. In the given geostrategic and geopolitical situation, enhancing mutual trust and establishing a strong working relationship at various levels right up to the top is of utmost importance, which the two leaders seem to realize."

After Xi'an, Modi travels to Beijing where Li will host a welcoming ceremony. The two leaders will have an official meeting and attend cultural exchange events.

Modi has prepared carefully for the trip, and opened his Sina Weibo account so he could make contact with the people of China. The Indian embassy said he edited his first posting early on the morning of May 4 and asked his staff to translate it into Chinese. He wrote six pieces over the next five days and attracted more than 46,000 fans.

Modi's three-day visit will also take him to the financial hub of Shanghai, where he will meet business leaders and members of the Indian community.

Kantha said the countries are likely to agree on more than 10 projects and sign at least 20 agreements on economic and trade cooperation during the visit.

Le Yucheng, China's ambassador to India, said that if the visit goes well, the value of the deals to be signed will exceed $10 billion.

China is India's largest trading partner, with trade volume set to reach $100 billion this year.